Surprise! The Smile have announced their second album of 2024: Titled Cutouts, the new 10-song project is due out on October 4th via XL Recordings. As a preview, the trio of Thom Yorke, Jonny Geenwood, and Tom Skinner have shared two new songs: “Foreign Spies” and “Zero Sum.” Listen below.
Cutouts marks The Smile’s third studio album, following January’s Wall of Eyes (named the fifth best album release of 2024 so far by Consequence) and 2022’s A Light for Attracting Attention. Produced by Sam Petts-Davies, the new album was recorded in Oxford and at Abbey Road Studios during the same period of time that Wall Of Eyes was recorded, and its songs were then premiered live by The Smile during their shows in the UK and Europe this past Spring.
Upon arrival in October, Cutouts will be available in digital, CD, cassette, and vinyl formats, including standard black vinyl and a limited-edition white pressing. Pre-orders are ongoing.
Earlier this month, The Smile shared “Don’t Get Me Started” and “The Slip” on 12-inch vinyl exclusively in independent record stores. Those tracks have now found those way on Cutouts, as have today’s two-song preview in “Foreign Spies” and “Zero Sum,” both of which arrive with a music video directed by audiovisual artist Weirdcore.
Meanwhile, The Smile had to cancel a number of 2024 tour dates this past June as Jonny Greenwood recovered from a serious illness, but the group’s members still have upcoming projects. Later this year, Thom Yorke will embark on a rare solo tour with shows in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, and Japan (get tickets), while Greenwood is reportedly writing a score for Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming film, The Battle of Baktan Cross.
Cutouts Artwork: